When it comes to 4G LTE connectivity, we have always associated that with smartphones and not feature phones. If you owned a feature phone, you were stuck with 3G internet and that was enough since 4G LTE is not something people who buy such smartphones look out for. With 4G now available in most parts of the world, we may start seeing feature phones that support that.
Qualcomm is one company keen to see that happen and the company has just unveiled Snapdragon 205 platform that brings LTE category 4 capabilities to feature phones. Keep in mind that this refers to Snapdragon 205 platform not processor.
This move by Qualcomm is to address the needs of people who are still using feature phones but still want a better experience when it comes to connectivity. These are mostly individuals in emerging markets where not everyone can afford a smartphone. Besides these individuals, feature phones are also used by individuals who want reliable devices that last longer when it comes to battery life.
Most people with feature phones tend to use them as communication devices and as music players but this new platform by Qualcomm may turn them to primary devices used for web browsing. This is quite interesting and something I did not expect to see.
The Snapdragon 205 platform supports Cat 4 LTE and in theory this means speeds can go as high as 150 Mbps. Of course users will not achieve this all the time, this is just the maximum speed they can get. The platform has two 1.1 GHz cores and can support VGA display resolutions even though it is capable of HD video streaming.
In a statement, Qualcomm said, “The platform supports consumers, micro-enterprises, and others to economically communicate using advanced LTE data services such as Voice-over-LTE and Voice-over-Wi-Fi… Feature phones are a lifeline in many emerging countries and the 205 Mobile Platform allows us to bring 4G connectivity and services to the masses with devices at price points never seen before.”
Also Read: Ericsson And Qualcomm Technologies Demonstrate Gigabit Class LTE In Africa
Is this the one that runs on Xiaomi Redmi 4A?
Not really. The Xiaomi Redmi 4A comes with the Snapdragon 425 processor. They are both made by the same company but are different products.